By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Behind a solid team effort, Crvena Zvezda got a close 73-72 win over Peristeri BC, which competes in the Basketball Champions League under coach Vassilis Spanoulis, at the opening game of the preparation tournament “Neofitos Chandriotis” in Cyprus.
Ognjen Dobric with 16 points and Jalen Adams with 15 led the charge, while Ben Bentil added 13 and nine rebounds and Nikola Ivanovic scored 12.
The Serbian team didn’t have available Nemanja Nedovic and Filip Petrusev, two key players who are still injured.
While Zvezda never trailed and led by 14 (54-40) couldn’t be relaxed in the end with the Greek cup cutting the lead to four (72-70) entering the last two minutes after a goal-foul and a steal by Dimitris Moraitis and a big shot by Leonidas Kaselakis.
The Greeks trimmed the lead even to one (73-72), but Moraitis missed at the buzzer the three which could have won the game.
Sylvain Francisco with 14 points and Shakur Juiston with 11 were the top scorers of the losing side, while Kaselakis and Aleksa Radanov had 10 points each.